Intensified and competing claims over land are crucial to understanding current urban transformations in Africa. This paper aims to highlight the role of transnational migrants in urban land... Show moreIntensified and competing claims over land are crucial to understanding current urban transformations in Africa. This paper aims to highlight the role of transnational migrants in urban land investments and claim making on urban land. While the relationship between urbanization in Africa and migration has long been a focus of research and policy, attention had mainly focused on the intertwinement between rising urbanization and the in flux of rural migrants, internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees struggling to survive and gain access to urban space and services. More recently, the African city has gained a more positive image as a consequence of Africa's economic boom and has come to be seen as a pillar of development, rather than a place of chaos and poverty. In this 'urban turn' in development thinking and concomitant technocratic and infrastructural policy approaches, the link between urbanization and migration has been largely overlooked. We argue, however, that transnational migrants in particular are an important category in claim-making processes over urban land and real estate and add to these in specific ways. Using case studies in Khartoum and Dakar, we investigate the ways in which transnational migrants contribute to speculation, rising land values and processes of socio-spatial inclusion and exclusion. Rather than making a comparative analysis, we use two concrete cases to gain an empirical understanding of the processes associated with these diaspora investments, including the question of whether these transnational migrants can be considered as contributing to urban 'land grabs' or not. Show less
By tracking the changing nature of wasta, or personal intermediation, in the Khartoum labour market, this paper examines the impact of Islamist policies on state-society relations in Khartoum,... Show moreBy tracking the changing nature of wasta, or personal intermediation, in the Khartoum labour market, this paper examines the impact of Islamist policies on state-society relations in Khartoum, Sudan. It argues that economic liberalisation and higher education expansion weakened sectarian control over the economy, replacing the former institutionalised system of privilege with a much more decentralised, private and transnational structure. The conclusion asks whether these policies have laid the groundwork for long-term political transformation. While education expansion and liberalisation should theoretically allow a regime to broaden patronage networks, they may also reduce the capacity of both the regime and the private sector to exercise power and establish predictability outwards. Show less
This edited volume focuses on mobile phone use in specific African communities, namely those that have a long history of mobility and are regarded as marginal in the national economic, social and... Show moreThis edited volume focuses on mobile phone use in specific African communities, namely those that have a long history of mobility and are regarded as marginal in the national economic, social and/or political context. It was in such regions that the most intensive dynamics were expected to be seen following the introduction of the mobile phone. Contributions: Introduction: mobile margins and the dynamics of communication (Mirjam de Bruijn, Inge Brinkman and Francis Nyamnjoh); Mobilit‚ et moyens de communication au Gu‚ra (Chad) (Djimet Seli); La connexion des marges: marginalit‚ politique et technologie de d‚senclavement en Basse Casamance (Sud du S‚n‚gal) (Fatima Diallo); 'Angola my country, Cape Town my home': a young migrant's journey of social becoming and belonging (Imke Gooskens); Transnational migration and marginality: Nigerian migrants in anglophone Cameroon (Tangie Nsoh Fonchingong); Les femmes hadjaraye du Gu‚ra … l'‚cole de l'alphab‚tisation (Khalil Alio); From foot messengers to cell phones: communication in Kom, Cameroon, c. 1916-1998 (Walter Gam Nkwi); Grandeur ou misŠres des cabines t‚l‚phoniques priv‚es et publiques au Mali (Naffet Ke‹ta); Informationandcommunication technology and its impact on transnational migration: the case of Senegalese boat migrants (Henrietta Nyamnjoh); Identities of place: mobile naming practices and social landscapes in Sudan (Siri Lamoureux). [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
This book provides an overview of the conditions facing the urban poor in Khartoum, Sudan and explores the opportunities and constraints people of different genders, ages, wealth and social... Show moreThis book provides an overview of the conditions facing the urban poor in Khartoum, Sudan and explores the opportunities and constraints people of different genders, ages, wealth and social origins face in the pursuant of their livelihoods. Using an in-depth analysis, it argues that the livelihoods of poor people have been severely constrained by both formal and informal institutions that have not allowed them to access capitals and choose the way they utilize those they have. Muna A. Abdalla was born in August 1966 in Khartoum, the Capital of Sudan. After completing primary and secondary education in Sudan, she pursued her university education in Egypt, University of Zagazig, where she obtained her BSC in Science and Education. In 1989 she obtained an Advanced Diploma in Development and Adult Education, Post Graduate College, University of Khartoum, then a M.Ed. in Education, University of Manchester, UK, 1991. She worked as consultant/researcher on Africa's development challenges, poverty, gender and capacity building issues with ILO, OSSREA and the Ford Foundation in different countries. She coordinated and assisted in implementing and managing projects for UNECEF in Sudan, and worked for the Sudan Broadcasting Services and DPMF in Ethiopia. Show less
This volume contains a range of original studies on the controversial role of youth in politics, conflicts and rebellious movements in Africa. A common aim of the studies is to try and explain why... Show moreThis volume contains a range of original studies on the controversial role of youth in politics, conflicts and rebellious movements in Africa. A common aim of the studies is to try and explain why patterns of generational conflict and violent response among younger age groups in Africa are showing such a remarkably uneven spread across the continent. An introduction by Jon Abbink (Being young in Africa: the politics of despair and renewal) is follwed by three parts: 1. Historical perspectives on youth as agents of change (Murray Last on youth in Muslim northern Nigeria, 1750-2000; G. Thomas Burgess on youth in revolutionary Zanzibar); 2. State, crisis and the mobilization of youth (Peter Mwangi Kagwanja on youth identity and the politics of transition in Kenya, 1997-2002; Karel Arnaut on youth and the politics of history in C“te d'Ivoire; Jok Madut Jok on the position of youth in South Sudan; Piet Konings on anglophone university students and anglophone nationalist struggles in Cameroon; and Sara Rich Dorman on youth and politics in Eritrea); 3. Interventions: dealing with youth in crisis (Yves Marguerat on street children in Lom‚, Togo; Angela McIntyre on the phenomenon of child soldiers in Africa; Simon Simonse on failed Statehood and the violence of young male pastoralists in the Horn of Africa; and Krijn Peters on the reintegration of young ex-combatants in Sierra Leone). [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
This report gives a personal assessment of the local needs of the Southern Sudanese population in the period of societal reconstruction envisaged in the likely event of a meaningful peace... Show moreThis report gives a personal assessment of the local needs of the Southern Sudanese population in the period of societal reconstruction envisaged in the likely event of a meaningful peace agreement being realized in 2004 between the SPLM/A and the government of Sudan. In particular, the report examines the challenges and prospects of Quick Impact Programmes. Chief domains of attention for relief and reconstruction include: the internally displaced persons and refugees, security, infrastructure and economic recovery, the setting up of educational structures, the building of an administrative political structure, and food security. The author argues that QIPs should not focus exclusively on 'technicalities' and should take into account the political context in which they operate. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
This article summarizes some findings of research on plant names and plant use of the Suri people (more widely known by outsiders as "Surma"), a relatively isolated group of agro-pastoralists in... Show moreThis article summarizes some findings of research on plant names and plant use of the Suri people (more widely known by outsiders as "Surma"), a relatively isolated group of agro-pastoralists in the border area of Southwest Ethiopia and Sudan. The research was carried out as part of a long-term anthropological study on the Suri in the years 1992-1999. The most prevalent health problems of the Suri are intestinal and stomach diseases, parasites, malaria, infections and burns. For several of these afflictions the Suri have indigenous medicine and surgery. However, they are now beginning to demand modern medicine (tablets, ointments, injections) when they see that it is available. The traditional ethno-medicinal knowledge is uncritically replaced. This is not to say that all Suri traditional knowledge was healthy and effective. But the transition to "modern medicine" is made without a proper testing and investigation of the workings and the potential of the Suri plants and medical practices in use until now. Bibliogr., notes Show less
Les rapports interethniques sont essentiels pour les pasteurs semi-nomades et l'identité des Peuls est ainsi modelée par les rapports qu'ils entretiennent avec le monde extérieur. Dans cet article... Show moreLes rapports interethniques sont essentiels pour les pasteurs semi-nomades et l'identité des Peuls est ainsi modelée par les rapports qu'ils entretiennent avec le monde extérieur. Dans cet article l'auteur analyse les changements en cours dans les rapports entre les éleveurs peuls et les cultivateurs hummbeebe dans la région du Mali central, le Hayre, après les sécheresses des années 1980. Dans la société peule traditionnelle du Hayre, les Peuls pasteurs appartenaient à la classe des nobles, tandis que tous les cultivateurs étaient considérés comme inférieurs. L'auteur examine notamment comment les changements en cours influent sur la formation de l'identité des Peuls. Les relations symbiotiques entre les Peuls et les Hummbeebe sont examinées à travers la description du cycle annuel d'une famille peule appauvrie à cause des sécheresses. Cette famille cultive du mil pendant la saison des pluies; après la récolte, elle fait la transhumance pour gagner un village de Hummbeebe où les femmes font le troc du lait contre le mil. L'institution du 'jatigi' (hôte) joue un rôle central dans les rapports entre les deux groupes. Cependant, les changements survenus au cours des dernières décennies font que les contrastes entre les deux groupes diminuent, notamment en ce qui concerne l'utilisation des terres. Ces changements causent l'érosion de l'institution du 'jatigi', qui est devenue plus importante pour la survie existentielle et économique des Peuls que pour les Hummbeebe. Pour les Peuls, la fonction sociale de l'institution reste indispensable. Show less
This report constitutes a synthesis of three case studies of intrastate conflicts in Africa. Research was conducted in the context of the Conflict Policy Research Project executed by the... Show moreThis report constitutes a synthesis of three case studies of intrastate conflicts in Africa. Research was conducted in the context of the Conflict Policy Research Project executed by the Netherlands Institute of International Relations 'Clingendael' for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conflicts concerned are the civil wars in Liberia, Rwanda and Sudan. The details of these conflicts and the policy interventions undertaken by the Netherlands and other actors vis-aI_-vis these countries can be found in the respective reports (M.V. van Baarsen: The Netherlands and Sudan: Dutch policies and interventions with respect to the Sudanese civil war; P. Douma: The Netherlands and Rwanda: a case study on Dutch foreign policies and interventions in the contemporary conflict history of Rwanda; K. van Walraven: The Netherlands and Liberia: Dutch policies and interventions with respect to the Liberian civil war). The present contribution presents the main conclusions and arguments of the three country studies. It briefly describes the issues, actors and dynamics of the intrastate conflicts in Sudan, Rwanda and Liberia and summarizes the political, humanitarian and post-conflict interventions undertaken by the Netherlands and other actors (Ecomog, United Nations, Inter-Governmental Authority for Development, IGAD) Show less
The relation of pastoral societies with the 'outside world' has proved to be one of structural deterioration. This poses questions as to the political space remaining for these societies within... Show moreThe relation of pastoral societies with the 'outside world' has proved to be one of structural deterioration. This poses questions as to the political space remaining for these societies within the State arenas to which they nominally belong and the nature of their ethnoreligious identities. The pastoral societies of East Africa, while varied in nature and social organization, still show some common characteristics with regard to religion and political system. The author argues that the principles of clan segmentation, age-group structure, the ritual-cyclical ordering of community life, and decentralized, regionally exercised power will remain more important organizing elements for pastoral societies than purely ideological-religious factors. This is a result of certain macroconditions such as their necessary confinement to marginal areas, their geographical mobility, and their lack of integration into the wider State society in terms of literacy, economic surplus extraction, social mobility, or political representation. The author looks at the 'strategies' of various agropastoral groups in terms of religious response and political action within these macroconditions. He uses the examples of the Boran in Ethiopia and Kenya, the Nuer in Sudan and Ethiopia, and the Surma of southern Ethiopia. Show less
Recent studies have pointed to the relationships between marabouts and power in West Africa. The present author argues that these studies should be broadened to include marabouts not necessarily... Show moreRecent studies have pointed to the relationships between marabouts and power in West Africa. The present author argues that these studies should be broadened to include marabouts not necessarily linked directly to particular regimes, but whose reputations and widespread popularity put them in a complex relationship to power. He presents a biographical note on the most influential marabouts in present-day Mali, Sidy Modibo Kane Diallo, born in 1925 in the town of Dilly, in the cercle of Nara which was then the French Sudan. In 1974 he became the official 'khalifa' of the Kane Diallo family. Today his reputation rests in large part on his efforts to spread Islam in Mali, particularly among the Bambara of Beledugu and Kaarta. Other factors which have served to enhance Sidy's reputation include the yearly 'ziyara' in Dilly and his role as a 'khalifa' of the Quadiriyya brotherhood. His circulation within Mali has been subject to authorization by the Malian State. Wherever he travels, he is received with great fanfare not only by villagers but also by representatives of the State who shower him with gifts and solicit him for blessings. The State cannot fail to recognize the potential benefits of its association with Sidy, and at times seems to act to exploit his influence, although he is not closely linked to the Traor‚ regime. Notes, ref Show less
The Free University in Amsterdam has undertaken several research projects in the Sudan. One programme (1983-1986) was aimed at comparing spontaneous and organized settlement of refugees as roads... Show moreThe Free University in Amsterdam has undertaken several research projects in the Sudan. One programme (1983-1986) was aimed at comparing spontaneous and organized settlement of refugees as roads towards integration; the locations studied were in the region of Gedaref, in the southern part of the Eastern Region. A second programme (1986-1987), undertaken jointly by the Free University and the University of Khartoum's Development Studies and Research Centre, studied the impact of refugees on the host region; Kassala and the surrounding rural area were chosen for this study. The present publication is a collection of articles written by some of those involved in these research programmes. They summarize the principal results of the various researches. The first chapter, by Henk Tieleman, introduces some of the prominent issues in refugee studies and discusses possible theoretical approaches. This is followed by a chapter, by Tom Kuhlman, on the root cause of the largest refugee flow: the Eritrean conflict. Chapter 3, by Jan Bouke Wijbrandi, evaluates the economic integration of refugees under conditions of organized and spontaneous settlement, and chapter 4, by Walter Kok, discusses the burden of refugees as assessed in the Kassala region. The last article, by Moniek Boerenkamp and Arjan Schuthof, is a condensation of the research undertaken by two anthropologists among Eritrean refugees belonging to the Baria ethnic group in a village near Kassala. Show less
